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MAXX ICE MIM100 Water Pressure loss during freeze cycle.
This machine is about 6 years old. Is has been working fine for years and until recently. It was in use and functioning properly and then I unplugged it for about 3 months due to being away. I wanted to run it again after 3 months and before doing so I opened the front and rear covers to clean out any dust bunnies and do a general inspection. All looks well and is clean including the fan and condenser. I then performed a “ice making system cleaning” per the instruction manual. The cleaning process went smoothly with plenty of water pressure. I drained the water bin and repeated the cleaning cycle about 4 times. Now I am ready to make ice. After 5 minutes from turning the power on the water bin is full and the sprinkler is flowing very strong like normal which means the water is spraying high enough to reach the top of the ice mold. However when the freeze cycle begins and is happening the sprinkler force decreases and water no longer hits the ice mold. My question is this: Does this weak water flow during the freeze cycle indicate a bad water inlet valve solenoid “Maxx Ice 1854703201 Water Inlet Valve”? If so I am confused as to why the water flow is strong before the freeze cycle. The unit is level. The ambient temperature is favorable. The unit has ran for years including being unplugged for weeks at a time and then starts back up and functions properly. I also removed the top cover and observed the evaporator during the freeze cycle, it freezes 100% in it’s full loop and the water valve opens and water flows from the top down to the water bin. The fan kicks on over the condenser like normal and turns off when the cycle changes. I cannot deduce any other problems. The water bin also does not leak. My water supply pressure has not been interrupted either. Thank you in advance.
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4 Replies
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I also cleaned out the sprinkler when doing general maintenance this week. After running it and realizing there is a water pressure problem I did unplug it for a few minutes and also tapped on the water inlet valve solenoid. When I plugged it in and powered it on a partial batch of ice was made and that was it. The unit will just keep running all the cycles and according to their proper timing however like I said during the freeze cycle the evaporator freezes but the water flowing through the sprinkler during that time is very weak. I just thought of an additional question: could it be the water pump? However like the first question why does it work great at the start of the new cycle but then weaken during the freeze cycle? During the freeze cycle the water bin is still full FYI.
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Ok, you have a undercounter machine that sprays into pockets. On the MIM, They introduce water over the top of the evaporator to pre-chill. It has nothing to do with the incoming water if the tank is full. However, since you state that the pump is suppling adequate pressure at the beginning of the cycle and then slows the flow you either have something in the pump suction path or the pump bearings get tight and slow the pump down from heat saturation of the bearings. They are normally sleeve bearings, but some of the Marsh horizontals have ball bearings. If they are bronze or oil-lite, lubricate them with 10 weight machine oil. I’ve actually drilled small holes in the bearing housing to facilitate this if they do not have lube holes. If they are ball bearings, a shaft seal leak will corrode the bearing making pump replacement necessary.
There is one other possibility, that the water level gets to low in the tank and the pump sucks air. But if the water tank fills to the overflow, that is not it, as they use a fixed amount per cycle. Each cycle has to flow some water out the overflow to flush minerals.
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Thank you fixbear. Besides inspecting the water lines coming to and from the pump do the photos I have included show the pump you are talking about for me to oil? I am trying to discern from your recommendation if that is the part I need to remove and if so will I find the bearings you had mentioned? Thank you for your time. 1 photo is my pump the 2nd photo is a screenshot of a new water pump from a parts store.
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There is no way to lubricate that style pump. Take a toothpick and try rotating the impeller. Is it free or have a bit of binding to it? If the tubing is clear and the pump is running, I would monitor the pump voltage to make sure it isn’t dropping and the current to see if the load changes during the cycle. As the RPM drops, so does the pressure and volume of the pump. Just what you are seeing. You may also want to look real close at the water tank. If there is any sediment or particulate inside, It may be binding the impeller. When you look into the discharge of the pump, look for whether it is a closed or open impeller. If it is a closed design, There may be partial blockages internal. Seen that before.
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